Healthwatch Sheffield turns 10!
This has only been possible because of the individuals who’ve spoken to us about their experiences, and organisations who want to help make things better.
To celebrate, we had a birthday party on 21st September with some of the people we’ve worked with over the last decade – people working and volunteering in voluntary and community sector organisations, the NHS and Council, as well as people living and using health and social care services in Sheffield.
There were entertainers to help us have fun – making silhouette puppets, carving vegetable people, and performing magic tricks. We also had plenty of food and some birthday party essentials – balloons, bubbles, and birthday cake.
Our highlights
It was great to have the opportunity to look back at the work we’ve done in previous years, and talk to people about some of the impact we've made together in Sheffield. This includes working on a huge range of projects, alongside lots of different communities in the city.
Over the last 10 years:
- We’ve spoken to over 27,000 people in Sheffield about their care
- We’ve provided trustworthy information and advice to over 17,000 people
- Volunteers have given up nearly 5,000 hours to support our work
- We have published 22 in-depth topic reports, plus 40 SpeakUp reports, and over 80 shorter briefings
Another particular highlight was getting the opportunity to celebrate three volunteers who’ve been supporting us since the beginning – 10 years of volunteering with their local Healthwatch in Sheffield. A huge thanks to Lee Harker, Chris Sterry, and Patricia Edney for all their hard work and dedication!
Reflecting on our work
Judy Robinson (our Chair) and Emma Latimer (Place Director for Sheffield) both spoke at the event, reflecting on Healthwatch's role in the local health and care system, the importance of amplifying people’s voices and their lived experience, and how this can make services better for us all.
People who attended also shared some of their reflections on our work – we’re really pleased to hear what people think we’re doing well:
What's next?
There’s always room to improve and grow, and people shared ideas for what we could do in the coming years. This included making wider use of our written materials, working to raise awareness of Healthwatch in the wider public, and holding organisations to account, encouraging greater transparency to service users.
We had a great day celebrating the work we’ve done over the last decade, in partnership with the people of Sheffield, and look forward to the years ahead.
Want to find out more about the work we do?
You could read our annual reports, where we share an overview of the work we do each year. You could also read our workplan for the next year, to find out the specific projects we'll be focusing on.
And of course, you can get in touch with us to find out more about working with us, or how we can support you to access the health and social care services you need.
